Chapter 934 933. Kobe's Summer Plan
"Congratulations to the host for winning 22 consecutive games, and you will be rewarded with 22,000 points of superstar value."
With 22,000 points of superstar value, and the data of the following consecutive games were very explosive, Liu Mang's average score was stable at 37.1 points. In addition, he got more than 16,000 superstar points in the games. He defeated the Bulls three times in a row and got 3,000 superstar points. The superstar value rose to 61,396 points.
The rogue value also soared after the Hawks won 18 consecutive games.
Liu Mang saw that the rogue value was more than 45 million. It turned out that only by completing achievements that had never been completed, or getting honors that could be accumulated, could the rogue value soar.
After losing to the Nets, Liu Mang was depressed for a while, but then he felt relieved as the coaching staff thought.
The feeling of being whipped every day and having to win consecutive games was too uncomfortable.
During this period, Liu Mang appeared in the news headlines every day, but he felt it was hard.
And psychologically, they are exhausted. After losing one game, they no longer have the pressure of winning streak. In the remaining 18 games, no fans will expect them to break records or anything.
And not only that, after Liu Mang returned to Atlanta, he saw that the fans online were not concerned about their record, but his personal data. In terms of record, they were paying attention to the strong teams that were fighting for the playoffs and the teams in the lower half of the playoffs that were competing for the playoffs.
Without the pressure of record, there is no need to care about winning streak or not. The team has to rest. Liu Mang can freely score and practice running positions and hone his skills of turnaround jump shot and high post back on the court.
I have been practicing turnaround jump shot for a long time, and high post back for a long time. The technical connection in training is also good. It is time to try to display these techniques in the game.
No matter how hard you train, even in-team training, it is not as good as trying in a real game.
It may affect the hit rate, but the team is also running in tactics, so there is no big problem.
…
…
On the morning when Liu Mang returned to Atlanta, in the Toyota Center training hall in Los Angeles, the president's office of the Lakers.
"Kobe, you should rest. You know your current physical condition." Jerry Buss clearly expressed his opinion.
"We still have a chance to enter the playoffs!" Kobe decisively refused.
32 wins and 33 losses, relying on Kobe's recent games, the Lakers are about to increase their winning rate to 50% with 17 games left.
The Grizzlies' record is 35 wins and 30 losses. It seems that the Lakers have a chance to overtake the Grizzlies.
"I understand, but Kobe, what's the point of entering the playoffs?" Jerry Buss said directly.
"I..." Kobe wanted to say that he could lead the team to win.
But more than three quarters of a season have been played. The Lakers have played 65 games, of which he participated in 60 games and won 31 games, with a winning rate of just 50%.
Averaging 29.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, but averaging 4 turnovers per game. Kobe is not unwilling to pass the ball, but his teammates are completely unable to cooperate with him. Except for Odom and Butler, Kobe is not satisfied with the ball awareness of others.
"Kobe, you have to be patient, believe me, when the time comes, I will find you a great helper, you have to believe in the ability of the team." Jerry Buss himself is very confident, "But to attract helpers, we need a healthy Kobe Bryant, a Kobe Bryant who is in perfect physical condition as before, that is the best player in the world."
This made Kobe quite satisfied, much more satisfied than Kupchak's hard words.
"Okay, Jerry, I understand, but I still want to play two games, and then I will start to rest." Kobe made the final request.
"Two games? Do you want to play against that guy in Atlanta? Okay, I promise you, but if you have any physical condition, I will stop you from playing." Jerry Buss did not refuse.
"Not only the game the day after tomorrow, but also the big guy tonight. I want to take a good look at him. The big guy will be in the fourth grade soon..." Kobe got up and left the office.
Seeing Kobe leave on his own, Jerry Buss was not angry. He cared about Kobe's last words.
...
Kobe has reduced his training recently. He has not participated in any other training except shooting, and even began to reduce his protein intake.
But today he did not even participate in shooting training. After receiving a call from Jerry Buss in the morning, he came to the training hall and left.
Kobe has a date today. The person he is dating is not his wife, and the date is still in his own home. This is a date with the tallest player in the NBA.
Originally, when Kobe heard that Liu Mang and McGrady joined forces last summer, he was very disdainful. He felt that he should play basketball alone and win by himself.
But the reality hit him too hard. Although he is still the strongest, he also knows that he has nothing to do with the playoffs this season.
Since his rookie season, Kobe has had 50 wins in his worst year, except for the lockout season. But this season he can't even guarantee a 50% winning rate. This season has made Kobe feel that he can't move forward without good teammates.
Odom is not bad. When he gets high, Kobe is shocked, but if this guy can hold up two or three times a season, it's good.
Butler and Kobe have a very good relationship, but Butler has obvious advantages and disadvantages. He has excellent scoring ability and is a first-class rebounder at a small forward, but his defense is extremely poor, which means he can only be the third player on the team.
When Odom can't support the team's second best, he needs a better helper.
Originally, Kobe was worried that a superstar would come to take his place, but he also had a good attitude towards the combination of Liu Mang and Tracy McGrady.
However, seeing that Liu Mang and McGrady are becoming more and more cooperative as a team, McGrady has changed his playing style for Liu Mang, and Kobe almost vomited blood! Especially with a 22-game winning streak! The peak performance of him and O'Neal that year was 19 consecutive victories.
At this time, Kobe thought about the bosses of other teams who were conquered by Liu Mang. In addition to Tracy McGrady, there was also Rasheed Wallace, the "super prick" guy who even gave the league a headache.
After seeing Liu Mang, a social butterfly, rely on his personal communication skills to get two teammates, Rasheed Wallace and Tracy McGrady, Kobe discovered that this kind of operation existed!
As long as you are strong enough, what if you have the boss of another team? Just conquer him!
Men can’t say no!
Kobe was very confident in himself, crazy confident.
So, Kobe looked around the NBA and found his target. It just so happened that tonight, the night of the 12th, was the Lakers' home game against the Rockets. Kobe decisively invited a certain big man who was 2.26 meters tall to attend his home at noon today. The family lunch was held with Wang Zhizhi and his wife. This is not the key. The key is that they also invited a man who smiles almost all the time and does not have to worry about being fined...
Men, sometimes you have to adapt.
Kobe experienced the despair of his record after O'Neal left, and experienced two years of being brutally bullied by Liu Mang. Although his personality is still so awkward, he has begun to learn to adapt...
…
…
Returning to Atlanta on the 12th, Liu Mang rested for an afternoon. On the 13th, the team held a meeting for the remaining nine games this month and made detailed arrangements for the next rotation plan and the team's tactical training. It’s time to start preparing for the playoffs.
After the meeting, Liu Mang continued to train, and McGrady was also practicing three-pointers off the dribble in the half court next to him.
McGrady is not practicing three-pointers in isolation, but dribbling and shooting three-pointers when there is an opportunity, which is a bit different from pull-up shooting directly against the defense.
There is a rhythm to the dry pull, ignoring the opponent's defense, and relying on the feel of his own rhythm to make a living.
Shooting while dribbling is different. This requires you to grasp the opportunity to shoot at any time. That is, when dribbling, in addition to being ready to break through and pass, you must also be ready to take action at any time. It is much more difficult than pulling up.
Recently, Tracy McGrady has mainly practiced three-pointers in this area. From time to time, a team will come and let him go. At that time, he would have to do a three-pointer to a two-iron, which makes him feel even more What's uncomfortable is that occasionally I'll be frightened by the opponent's defense and forget to take an open shot, only to be blocked by another opponent's player.
Therefore, McGrady started coaching off-the-dribble shooting after the All-Star Weekend, which improved his three-point shooting percentage a lot.
Thanks to Liu Mang, although McGrady's scoring average dropped to 15.1 points per game, but also because of Liu Mang, scoring was actually very easy, with a shooting percentage of 51%, the highest in his career, and an amazingly high efficiency. He also had a three-point shooting percentage of 39%, almost reaching the 50+40 level.
Just like James and Wade during the Heat's Big Three era, their shooting percentages soared.
After training, McGrady stopped Liu Mang who was going to pick up Dinah from school after training.
"What's wrong Tracy?" Liu Mang asked.
"Ace, did you watch the game last night?" McGrady said casually.
"Last night? You mean when the Lakers played the Rockets?"
"Yes, Kobe scored 53 points last night. This is the fifth time he has scored 50+ points this season. He is only one behind you." McGrady still looked very casual.
"What?" Liu Mang glanced sideways at McGrady: "Tracy, are you interested? Why don't you come and score tonight and I'll pass the ball to you."
"No, I'm not interested in scoring. It's just that when I pass the ball to you tomorrow night, what do you think of you taking a few more shots?" McGrady finally said his purpose.
"Oh..." Liu Mang suddenly realized.
McGrady is currently averaging 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game, and Nash is averaging 11.9 assists per game. Nash is about to drop to 11.8 assists per game, while McGrady has been rising because McGrady plays fewer games. A few games, so McGrady's assists per game have increased a little faster.
The Hawks have a difficult schedule this month, with many games, and the Suns are similar. The Suns' schedule is used to provide food to strong teams at the beginning and end of the season. Although Nash has played well recently, the Suns The team's record began to decline.
Not only the Suns, but also the Pistons, their record began to decline.
The Eagles relied on a wave of consecutive wins to maintain their record. As a team arranged by the league to increase ratings in March and prepare for the playoffs in April, the Eagles did not have many games left to play against weak teams. Of the remaining 18 games, 12 opponents are playoff-level. Of these 12 opponents, half are among the top four in the East and West. Among them, the three games against the Pistons and the Spurs are the most important.
But the Lakers... except for Kobe, there is nothing else worth paying attention to.
When playing against the Lakers, Liu Mang's focus is to get Kobe and get Kobe's star card this season. Although Kobe did not maintain his form this season and played miserably when he encountered back-to-back and consecutive tight schedules, his strength is beyond doubt. He himself has no physical problems, and Kobe's star card is only effective for 10 minutes, so there is no physical pressure.
Liu Mang is looking forward to the game with the Lakers, and he is only looking forward to playing against Kobe.
But I didn't expect that McGrady would have such a sinister and despicable mentality when playing against a weak team. Liu Mang really likes McGrady as a teammate... even more.
"Tracy, is this okay? You actually want to use the game against the Lakers to brush up your data. Although their record is poor, Kobe treats you as a brother..."
"Kobe? Who is it? Ace, do you know this person?"